Foreign Companies

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether he has made an estimate of the number of foreign-owned businesses in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated July 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your question concerning the number of foreign-owned businesses in the United Kingdom. (217550)
	At March 2007 there were approximately 25,400 enterprises live in the UK owned by a foreign company. This estimate is taken from the UK response to the 2007 Eurostat Registers Questionnaire, submitted to the European Commission. Analysis is based on the national identity of the ultimate owner of an enterprise group.